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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. season — in sport
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. sharp — clever
  13. track — a song
  14. ball — a dance
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pop — music
  19. season — of the year
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pop — soda
  22. track — to keep track
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com